


Sometimes fear makes you do inexplicable things

by VoidLeviathan



Series: Coffee-Stained Books - Extra Bits [2]
Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half-Life
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Comfort, Coomer is just a big dad to everyone in this au, Coomer: Barney let me help with emotions, Coomer: Barney let me tell you a story about Bubby, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grandpa / Dad vibes is what he gives off, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Some Humor, Teacher Bubby, Therapist Coomer, Theres a lot to this au that I'm soft for, This is not the last you'll see of him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:28:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24838468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidLeviathan/pseuds/VoidLeviathan
Summary: Barney hadn’t been doing very well that week. Or that month. Or really that year.
Relationships: Bubby/Dr. Coomer (Half-Life), Dr. Coomer & Barney Calhoun
Series: Coffee-Stained Books - Extra Bits [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768609
Kudos: 32





	Sometimes fear makes you do inexplicable things

Barney hadn’t been doing very well that week. Or that month. Or really that year. Things had instantly gone down hill the day he came out to his parents and didn’t ever seem like they’d been looking up no matter how hard Coomer and Bubby worked to try and make him feel better in the time that he lived with them. It was fully understandable really. He’d only recently lost contact with his brother entirely and with that and being kicked out of his home weighing on his shoulders, he didn’t really have much of a chance to feel happy.  
  
Coomer didn’t like this. Bubby didn’t like it either. Unfortunately Bubby wasn’t exactly good in the ‘cheering up kids’ department. The boy might be his student but that doesn’t mean he knew how to properly interact with him without feeling like hes still his student. He just wasn’t great with handling emotions and Coomer understood that.  
  
Fortunately Coomer was great with kids. And as a therapist, and just a good person in general, he would make it his goal to at least see Barney smile a little bit this next coming week. He wanted the boy to be happy, to get back on his feet and start a new life without the worry of anything before it.  
  
It was simply a matter of trying to slowly get past the anger and contempt he held at the thought of his currently M.I.A brother. Or...maybe he wasn’t M.I.A. Just simply hiding from everyone he knew because he thought it was right. Perhaps Coomer would run into Benrey one day and talk to him about it as well. How unhealthy it all was.  
  
For now he’d start with Barney.  
  
“You know what makes me the most upset?” Barney suddenly says. He started crying curled up on the corner of their couch at least half an hour ago, so maybe talking was a good sign. His voice sounded very rough. “Benrey knew what was wrong. He knew something was up with our parents, knew how bad they were, and he ran away. If...if he knew then….then why didn’t he take me with him? Why did he leave me there to just….”  
  
Maybe speaking wasn’t a good sign. More tears quickly poured from Barney’s face as the boy himself quickly curled back up into a ball and cried harder. Coomer would do anything if only to see him no longer crying. He tried to hastily think of an answer that wouldn’t come off as too disheartening, rubbing the boy’s back gently to comfort him.  
  
“Sometimes...fear makes you do inexplicable things. We can only assume your parents were just as bad to them as they were to you, and they decided they just wouldn't take it anymore. They got scared, decided they didn't want to be scared, and left.”  
  
“But why didn’t he-...why didn’t they take me with them?”  
  
“Because...well…” Coomer sighed. He had to hand it to the kid, he knew how to ask the most complicated questions.  
  
“Say you're in a tough situation that you don't like and slowly you've become more and more fearful of it, you'd run away wouldn't you?” Barney thinks about it, but nods. “Well when running away your brain doesn't really always think of the consequences and only thinks about how to protect you. Sometimes you don't stop running and it only makes things worse. You get so caught up in hiding from what did and could hurt you that you forgot there was actually something good that you might have left behind.”  
  
Barney wasn’t crying anymore, but there was a frown still upon his face. Coomer could see the words were getting through to him, the boy just didn’t know how to process them fully. Sometimes it was easy for him to understand what Coomer explained and sometimes it wasn’t, this was like an in between situation as he thought more on it.  
  
“I guess...that sorta makes sense but…” Barney sighed, trying not to cry more, “I just..it hurts a lot...I don’t think even if that were the case that I-”  
  
“Its okay to be angry at them for it Barney. Its completely healthy to be mad at someone you were close to suddenly pretending you aren't there, but I do think you should eventually try to push them in the right direction to fix it. Maybe you and your brother would get along more if you two showed each other it was okay not to be afraid of your past.”  
  
Barney looked displeased, but he was obviously starting to understand.  
  
“Did you know Bubby argued with his little brother quite frequently?”  
  
“Mr. Bubby has a brother?”  
  
“Oh yes!” Coomer laughed, “Its quite funny how different the two of them are actually. Unfortunately when they were younger their differences caused them to argue a lot. They just...couldn't find a way to get along.”  
  
“.....What made them fix it?”  
  
“Well? Let me think. I suppose Isaac came home one day crying and badly hurt. I believe it was a broken arm. A group of local kids had ganged up on him because he was quite the softy back then, and Bubby decided he wasn’t going to have that. He might have fought with his brother, but he wasn’t just going to sit around and let him be hurt. I think that was the point the decided to be better to one another.”  
  
The more Coomer thought about the entire situation, the more it made him smile thinking about Bubby and how he never lost his caring side, as much as he despised it. He could act like he didn’t care all he wanted but it wouldn’t stop Coomer from knowing the truth.  
  
“Bubby acts like he doesn't care but thats just simply how he works. He comes off as irritated and rude but...well I mean I've lived with him for years, I think its safe to say hes a very caring person when it comes to close family and those he cares about. Maybe thats the situation with Benrey. Maybe if you and Benrey trying to make up then...things will get better. Not fast by any means, but with time.”  
  
“I uh....is Bubby’s brother a good person? I mean I don’t doubt the story but..” Barney fiddled with his sleeves, “I don’t know its just…”  
  
“Oh Isaac?” Coomer grins, “Hes the sweetest man alive! Owns a nice little bookstore and has a son around your age. He's always looking to help people and frankly between you and me hes head over heels for the coffee shop owner next door to him. Absolutely nothing like Bubby. In fact hes the reason I even met Bubby!”  
  
“...Would you be cool with telling me that story?”  
  
Curiosity. Now they were getting somewhere. Coomer was glad to see the teen relax a bit.  
  
“Of course, its one of my favorite stories! I think we were just about your age. Issac is two or three years younger than us, and one afternoon while I was walking to the store he came running up to me crying. It took a few seconds to get him to properly explain what was going on, but he finally told me some people came up and hurt his older brother.”  
  
“How bad was it?”  
  
“Well now, you'd think Bubby being the tough man he is now would have just taken it, but when I met him he was crying like a baby.”  
  
“You’re lying!” Barney laughed.  
  
“I tell the whole truth! He was there crying and saw me and asked if I was going to just laugh at him. I had never seen someone with a broken ankle and bloody nose who was crying get so defensive before!”  
  
Looking back on it now, it was sweet that Bubby had been trying to be tough for his little brother.  
  
“I laughed and said _'It would be pretty hypocritical seeing as I've been in this situation before.'_ and _'Not to fear, no one would dare hurt them again when they had a friend with these guns.'_ and it made both Bubby and Isaac laugh quite a bit. I quickly got him some help after that, but since then we just...never grew apart after that.”  
  
A comfortable silence settled in the room after the story. Barney thankfully no longer crying, and considerably happier, but still thinking. He wouldn’t stop thinking, Coomer noted, wouldn’t be able to after everything thats happened.  
  
“Whats on your mind Barney? You’re always welcomed to talk to me remember.”  
  
“I don’t know I just…just feel a little lost you know? I hope that...maybe Benrey felt the same way right? Maybe its why they haven’t really talked to me in awhile…”  
  
“You never know until you ask Barney.”  
  
“Yeah...Yeah you’re right.” he softly sighed, thinking about it again.  
  
“Well I think thats enough emotions for one day, don’t you?” Coomer quickly chimed refusing to let the boy spiral again. “How would you feel about coming with me to pick up some things for tonight's dinner? I’m sure Bubby would appreciate if it was done early.”  
  
“I’d uh...uhm...would really like that but-”  
  
“You can bring your hoodie if you don’t feel comfortable in public yet Barney. If we run into your parents I’ll be sure to shoo them away., I promise. Don’t want anyone like that bothering you now do we?”  
  
Barney hadn’t been doing very well that week. Or that month. Or really that year. But perhaps a little push in the right direction form the right kind of parental figures would help him out of his slump.  
  
Maybe he’d start feeling better. Maybe he’d find something right for him.  
  
Maybe things were finally going to start looking up.

**Author's Note:**

> M' tumblr is Enby-Crow
> 
> Keep the "You get so caught up in hiding from what did and could hurt you that you forgot there was actually something good that you might have left behind." in mind because its very Freeman and Benrey in this au.


End file.
